If you haven’t read about the concept of “flow” in learning, you should take a look at a recent commentary in Education Week titled “Schools That ‘Flow’.”
For years, I have been fascinated by this concept, which was coined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychologist, to describe how skill, interest, and challenge intersect to optimize motivation and performance. I had looked at the concept mostly from the perspective of a writer and a youth sports coach. But the power of how this concept might be used for academic learning in K-12 schools is significant.
In their commentary, Brian Bruya and Russell Owens, faculty members in the department of history and philosophy at Eastern Michigan University, outline how the concept of flow might be used in schools to improve learning. They believe flow may be an important piece of the puzzle in determining the best approaches for improving schools.
This is an article that is worth reading. Please read it and let me know what you think about the concept of flow.